Central Asia in World History

Peter B. Golden

Introduces the reader to an important but relatively unknown part of the world

Traces Central Asian history from early human settlement to the development of unique modes of adaptation to a difficult terrain and climate and the creation of powerful empires that played major roles in world history

Emphasizes Central Asia and its peoples as cultural brokers between East and West

Draws on author's vast knowledge of sources in several Central Asian languages

Central Asia in World History

Peter B. Golden

Description

A vast region stretching roughly from the Volga River to Manchuria and the northern Chinese borderlands, Central Asia has been called the "pivot of history," a land where nomadic invaders and Silk Road traders changed the destinies of states that ringed its borders, including pre-modern Europe, the Middle East, and China. In Central Asia in World History, Peter B. Golden provides an engaging account of this important region, ranging from prehistory to the present, focusing largely on the unique melting pot of cultures that this region has produced over millennia. Golden describes the traders who braved the heat and cold along caravan routes to link East Asia and Europe; the Mongol Empire of Chinggis Khan and his successors, the largest contiguous land empire in
history; the invention of gunpowder, which allowed the great sedentary empires to overcome the horse-based nomads; the power struggles of Russia and China, and later Russia and Britain, for control of the area. Finally, he discusses the region today, a key area that neighbors such geopolitical hot spots as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.

Central Asia in World History

Peter B. Golden

Table of Contents

Editors' PrefaceIntroduction: A Layering of PeoplesChapter 1: The Rise of Nomadism and the Oasis City-StatesChapter 2: The Early Nomads: "Warfare is Their Business"Chapter 3: Heavenly Qaghans: The Türks and Their SuccessorsChapter 4: The Cities of the Silk Road and the Coming of Islam.Chapter 5: Crescent over the Steppe: Islam and the Turkic Peoples Chapter 6: The Mongol Whirlwind Chapter 7: The Later Chinggisids, Temür and the Timurid RenaissanceChapter 8: The Age of Gunpowder and the Crush of EmpiresChapter 9: The Problems of ModernityPronunciation GuideChronologyNotesFurther ReadingWebsitesAcknowledgmentsIndex